Chapter Hundred-sixteen

Anita POV

“How can they just come to me and expect me to believe whatever they say?” It had been hours now since the change in my life. No work, no chores, no orders—they’d moved me from the slave quarters to one of the concubine’s chambers. I was stunned. Confused, really. Why was this happening? What did I do to deserve this sudden elevation?

They said I was now "privileged." Madame Betty had dropped that word like a gift at my feet, but it felt more like a trap. I don’t trust it. I can’t trust it. It didn’t feel real, like none of this was real.

I sat down for dinner, alone at a private table, away from the other maids. They treated me differently now. Even the way they looked at me had changed—some with jealousy, some with confusion, but most with judgment. I didn’t want any of it. I didn’t ask for any of it.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn’t stay like this. This wasn’t me. I’m not meant for this. All I wanted was peace, but here I was, getting caught